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A Decoy Network The strategy behind Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ has been used by the military, sports teams, and pretty much anyone looking... Cyber Attacks & Incident Response How to Use Decoy Deception for Network Protection Matthew Pascucci 2 min read Matthew Pascucci Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 6/30/15 Published A Decoy Network The strategy behind Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ has been used by the military, sports teams, and pretty much anyone looking for a strategic edge against their foes. As Sun Tzu says “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” Sun Tzu understood that to gain an advantage on your opponent you need to catch him off guard, make him believe you’re something you’re not, so that you can leverage this opportunity to your advantage. As security practitioners we should all supplement our security practices with this timed and tested decoy technique against cyber attackers. There are a few technologies that can be used as decoys, and two of the most common are honeypots and false decoy accounts: A honeypot is a specially designed piece of software that mimics another system, normally with vulnerable services that aren’t really vulnerable, in order to attract the attention of an attacker as they’re sneaking through your network. Decoy accounts are created in order to check if someone is attempting to log into them. When an attempt is made security experts can then investigate the attackers’ techniques and strategies, without being detected or any data being compromised. Design the right decoy But before actually setting up either of these two techniques you first need to think about how to design the decoy in a way that will be believable. These decoy systems shouldn’t be overtly obvious, yet they need to entice the hacker so that he can’t pass up the opportunity. So think like an attacker: What would an attacker do first when gaining access to a network? How would he exploit a system? Will they install malware? Will they perform a recon scan looking for pivot points? Figuring out what your opponent will do once they’ve gained access to your network is the key to building attractive decoy systems and effective preventive measures. Place it in plain sight You also need to figure out the right place for your decoys. You want to install decoys into your network around areas of high value, as well as systems that are not properly monitored with other security technologies. They should be hiding in plain sight and mimicking the systems or accounts that they’re living next to. This means running similar services, have hostnames that fall in line with your syntax, running on the same operating systems (one exception is decoys running a few exploitable services to entice the attacker). The goes the same for accounts that you’ve seeded in applications or authentication services. We decided that in addition to family photos, it was time to focus on couples photoshoot ! Last fall we aired our popular City Photoshoot Tips & Ideas and as a result, gave you TONS of ideas and inspiration. And last but not least, you need to find a way to discretely publicize your applications or accounts in order to attract the attacker. Then, when an attacker tries to log in to the decoy applications or accounts (which should be disabled) you should immediately and automatically start tracking and investigating the attack path. Watch and learn Another important point to make is that once a breach attempt has been made you shouldn’t immediately cut off the account. You might want to watch the hacker for a period of time to see what else that he might access on the network. Many times tracking their actions over a period of time will give you a lot more actionable information that will ultimately help you create a far more secure perimeter. Think of it as a plainclothes police officer following a known criminal. Many times the police will follow a criminal to see if he will lead them toward more information about their activities before making an arrest. Use the same techniques. If an attacker trips over a few of carefully laid traps, it’s possible that he’s just starting to poke around your network. It’s up to you, while you have the upper hand, to determine if you start remediation or continue to guide them under your watchful eye. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Can Firewalls Be Hacked? Yes, Here’s 6 Vulnerabilities Like all security tools, firewalls can be hacked. That’s what happened to the... Cyber Attacks & Incident Response Can Firewalls Be Hacked? Yes, Here’s 6 Vulnerabilities Tsippi Dach 2 min read Tsippi Dach Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 12/20/23 Published Can Firewalls Be Hacked? Yes, Here’s 6 Vulnerabilities Like all security tools, firewalls can be hacked. That’s what happened to the social media platform X in January 2023, when it was still Twitter. Hackers exploited an API vulnerability that had been exposed since June the previous year. This gave them access to the platform’s security system and allowed them to leak sensitive information on millions of users. This breach occurred because the organization’s firewalls were not configured to examine API traffic with enough scrutiny. This failure in firewall protection led to the leak of more than 200 million names, email addresses, and usernames, along with other information, putting victims at risk of identity theft . Firewalls are your organization’s first line of defense against malware and data breaches. They inspect all traffic traveling into and out of your network, looking for signs of cyber attacks and blocking malicious activity when they find it. This makes them an important part of every organization’s cybersecurity strategy. Effective firewall management and configuration is vital for preventing cybercrime. Read on to find out how you can protect your organization from attacks that exploit firewall vulnerabilities you may not be aware of. Understanding the 4 Types of Firewalls The first thing every executive and IT leader should know is that there are four basic types of firewalls . Each category offers a different level of protection, with simpler solutions costing less than more advanced ones. Most organizations need to use some combination of these four firewall types to protect sensitive data effectively. Keep in mind that buying more advanced firewalls is not always the answer. Optimal firewall management usually means deploying the right type of firewall for its particular use case. Ideally, these should be implemented alongside multi-layered network security solutions that include network detection and response, endpoint security, and security information and event management (SIEM) technology. 1. Packet Filtering Firewalls These are the oldest and most basic types of firewalls. They operate at the network layer, checking individual data packets for their source IP address and destination IP. They also verify the connection protocol, as well as the source port and destination port against predefined rules. The firewall drops packets that fail to meet these standards, protecting the network from potentially harmful threats. Packet filtering firewalls are among the fastest and cheapest types of firewalls available. Since they can not inspect the contents of data packets, they offer minimal functionality. They also can’t keep track of established connections or enforce rules that rely on knowledge of network connection states. This is why they are considered stateless firewalls. 2. Stateful Inspection Firewalls These firewalls also perform packet inspection, but they ingest more information about the traffic they inspect and compare that information against a list of established connections and network states. Stateful inspection firewalls work by creating a table that contains the IP and port data for traffic sources and destinations, and dynamically check whether data packets are part of a verified active connection. This approach allows stateful inspection firewalls to deny data packets that do not belong to a verified connection. However, the process of checking data packets against the state table consumes system resources and slows down traffic. This makes stateful inspection firewalls vulnerable to Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. 3. Application Layer Gateways These firewalls operate at the application layer, inspecting and managing traffic based on specific applications or protocols, providing deep packet inspection and content filtering. They are also known as proxy firewalls because they can be implemented at the application layer through a proxy device. In practice, this means that an external client trying to access your system has to send a request to the proxy firewall first. The firewall verifies the authenticity of the request and forwards it to an internal server. They can also work the other way around, providing internal users with access to external resources (like public web pages) without exposing the identity or location of the internal device used. 4. Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) Next-generation firewalls combine traditional firewall functions with advanced features such as intrusion prevention, antivirus, and application awareness . They contextualize data packet flows and enrich them with additional data, providing comprehensive security against a wide range of threats. Instead of relying exclusively on IP addresses and port information, NGFWs can perform identity-based monitoring of individual users, applications, and assets. For example, a properly configured NGFW can follow a single user’s network traffic across multiple devices and operating systems, providing an activity timeline even if the user switches between a desktop computer running Microsoft Windows and an Amazon AWS instance controlling routers and iOT devices. How Do These Firewalls Function? Each type of firewall has a unique set of functions that serve to improve the organization’s security posture and prevent hackers from carrying out malicious cyber attacks. Optimizing your firewall fleet means deploying the right type of solution for each particular use case throughout your network. Some of the most valuable functions that firewalls perform include: Traffic Control They regulate incoming and outgoing traffic, ensuring that only legitimate and authorized data flows through the network. This is especially helpful in cases where large volumes of automated traffic can slow down routine operations and disrupt operations. For example, many modern firewalls include rules designed to deny bot traffic. Some non-human traffic is harmless, like the search engine crawlers that determine your website’s ranking against certain keyword searches. However, the vast majority of bot traffic is either unnecessary or malicious. Firewalls can help you keep your infrastructure costs down by filtering out connection attempts from automated sources you don’t trust. Protection Against Cyber Threats Firewalls act as a shield against various cyber threats, including phishing attacks, malware and ransomware attacks . Since they are your first line of defense, any malicious activity that targets your organization will have to bypass your firewall first. Hackers know this, which is why they spend a great deal of time and effort finding ways to bypass firewall protection. They can do this by exploiting technical vulnerabilities in your firewall devices or by hiding their activities in legitimate traffic. For example, many firewalls do not inspect authenticated connections from trusted users. If cybercriminals learn your login credentials and use your authenticated account to conduct an attack, your firewalls may not notice the malicious activity at all. Network Segmentation By defining access rules, firewalls can segment networks into zones with varying levels of trust, limiting lateral movement for attackers. This effectively isolates cybercriminals into the zone they originally infiltrated, and increases the chance they make a mistake and reveal themselves trying to access additional assets throughout your network. Network segmentation is an important aspect of the Zero Trust framework. Firewalls can help reinforce the Zero Trust approach by inspecting traffic traveling between internal networks and dropping connections that fail to authenticate themselves. Security Policy Enforcement Firewalls enforce security policies, ensuring that organizations comply with their security standards and regulatory requirements. Security frameworks like NIST , ISO 27001/27002 , and CIS specify policies and controls that organizations need to implement in order to achieve compliance. Many of these frameworks stipulate firewall controls and features that require organizations to invest in optimizing their deployments. They also include foundational and organizational controls where firewalls play a supporting role, contributing to a stronger multi-layered cybersecurity strategy. Intrusion Detection and Prevention Advanced firewalls include intrusion detection and prevention capabilities, which can identify and block suspicious activities in real-time. This allows security teams to automate their response to some of the high-volume security events that would otherwise drag down performance . Automatically detecting and blocking known exploits frees IT staff to spend more time on high-impact strategic work that can boost the organization’s security posture. Logging and Reporting Firewalls generate logs and reports that assist in security analysis, incident response, and compliance reporting. These logs provide in-depth data on who accessed the organization’s IT assets, and when the connection occurred. They enable security teams to conduct forensic investigations into security incidents, driving security performance and generating valuable insights into the organization’s real-world security risk profile. Organizations that want to implement SIEM technology must also connect their firewall devices to the platform and configure them to send log data to their SIEM for centralized analysis. This gives security teams visibility into the entire organization’s attack surface and enables them to adopt a Zero Trust approach to managing log traffic. Common Vulnerabilities & Weaknesses Firewalls Share Firewalls are crucial for network security, but they are not immune to vulnerabilities. Common weaknesses most firewall solutions share include: Zero-day vulnerabilities These are vulnerabilities in firewall software or hardware that are unknown to the vendor or the general public. Attackers can exploit them before patches or updates are available, making zero-day attacks highly effective. Highly advanced NGFW solutions can protect against zero-day attacks by inspecting behavioral data and using AI-enriched analysis to detect unknown threats. Backdoors Backdoors are secret entry points left by developers or attackers within a firewall’s code. These hidden access points can be exploited to bypass security measures. Security teams must continuously verify their firewall configurations to identify the signs of backdoor attacks. Robust and effective change management solutions help prevent backdoors from remaining hidden. Header manipulation Attackers may manipulate packet headers to trick firewalls into allowing unauthorized traffic or obscuring their malicious intent. There are multiple ways to manipulate the “Host” header in HTTP traffic to execute attacks. Security teams need to configure their firewalls and servers to validate incoming HTTP traffic and limit exposure to header vulnerabilities. How Cyber Criminals Exploit These Vulnerabilities Unauthorized Access Exploiting a vulnerability can allow cybercriminals to penetrate a network firewall, gaining access to sensitive data, proprietary information, or critical systems. Once hackers gain unauthorized access to a network asset, only a well-segmented network operating on Zero Trust principles can reliably force them to reveal themselves. Otherwise, they will probably remain hidden until they launch an active attack. Data Breaches Once inside your network, attackers may exfiltrate sensitive information, including customer data, intellectual property, and financial records (like credit cards), leading to data breaches. These complex security incidents can lead to major business disruptions and reputational damage, as well as enormous recovery costs. Malware Distribution Attackers may use compromised firewalls to distribute malware, ransomware, or malicious payloads to other devices within the network. This type of attack may focus on exploiting your systems and network assets, or it may target networks adjacent to your own – like your third-party vendors, affiliate partners, or customers. Denial of Service (DDoS) Exploited firewalls can be used in DDoS attacks, potentially disrupting network services and rendering them unavailable to users. This leads to expensive downtime and reputational damage. Some hackers try to extort their victims directly, demanding organizations pay money to stop the attack. 6 Techniques Used to Bypass Firewalls 1. Malware and Payload Delivery Attackers use malicious software and payloads to exploit firewall vulnerabilities, allowing them to infiltrate networks or systems undetected. This often occurs due to unpatched security vulnerabilities in popular firewall operating systems. For example, in June 2023 Fortinet addressed a critical-severity FortiOS vulnerability with a security patch. One month later in July, there were still 300,000 Fortinet firewalls still using the unpatched operating system. 2. Phishing Attacks Phishing involves tricking individuals into divulging sensitive information or executing malicious actions. Attackers use deceptive emails or websites that may bypass firewall filters. If they gain access to privileged user account credentials, they may be able to bypass firewall policies entirely, or even reconfigure firewalls themselves. 3. Social Engineering Tactics Cybercriminals manipulate human psychology to deceive individuals into disclosing confidential information, effectively bypassing technical security measures like firewalls. This is typically done through social media, email, or by telephone. Attackers may impersonate authority figures both inside and outside the organization and demand access to sensitive assets without going through the appropriate security checks. 4. Deep Packet Inspection Evasion Attackers employ techniques to disguise malicious traffic, making it appear benign to firewalls using deep packet inspection, allowing it to pass through undetected. Some open-source tools like SymTCP can achieve this by running symbolic executions on the server’s TCP implementation, scanning the resulting execution paths, and sending malicious data through any handling discrepancies identified. 5. VPNs and Remote Access Attackers may use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and remote access methods to circumvent firewall restrictions and gain unauthorized entry into networks. This is particularly easy in cases where simple geo restrictions block traffic from IP addresses associated with certain countries or regions. Attackers may also use more sophisticated versions of this technique to access exposed services that don’t require authentication, like certain containerized servers . 6. Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) Bypass Sophisticated attackers attempt to evade IPS systems by crafting traffic patterns or attacks that go undetected, enabling them to compromise network security. For example, they may use technologies to decode remote access tool executable files hidden inside certificate files, allowing them to reassemble the malicious file after it passes through the IPS. Protecting Against Firewall Vulnerabilities Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide multiple forms of identification, such as a password and a one-time code sent to their mobile device, before they gain access. This prevents attackers from accessing sensitive network assets immediately after stealing privileged login credentials. Knowing an account holder’s password and username is not enough. Two-factor Authentication (2FA) 2FA is a subset of MFA that involves using two authentication factors, typically something the user knows (password) and something the user has (a mobile device or security token), to verify identity and enhance firewall security. Other versions use biometrics like fingerprint scanning to authenticate the user. Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) IPS solutions work alongside firewalls to actively monitor network traffic for suspicious activity and known attack patterns, helping to block or mitigate threats before they can breach the network. These systems significantly reduce the amount of manual effort that goes into detecting and blocking known malicious attack techniques. Web Application Firewalls (WAF) WAFs are specialized firewalls designed to protect web applications from a wide range of threats, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other web-based attacks. Since these firewalls focus specifically on HTTP traffic, they are a type of application level gateway designed specifically for web applications that interact with users on the public internet. Antivirus Software and Anti-malware Tools Deploying up-to-date antivirus and anti-malware software on endpoints, servers, and Wi-Fi network routers helps detect and remove malicious software, reducing the risk of firewall compromise. In order to work effectively, these tools must be configured to detect and mitigate the latest threats alongside the organization’s other security tools and firewalls. Automated solutions can help terminate unauthorized processes before attackers get a chance to deliver malicious payloads. Regular Updates and Patch Management Keeping firewalls and all associated software up-to-date with the latest security patches and firmware updates is essential for addressing known vulnerabilities and ensuring optimal security. Security teams should know when configuration changes are taking place, and be equipped to respond quickly when unauthorized changes take place. Implementing a comprehensive visibility and change management platform like AlgoSec makes this possible. With AlgoSec, you can simulate the effects of network configuration changes and proactively defend against sophisticated threats before attackers have a chance to strike. Monitoring Network Traffic for Anomalies Continuous monitoring of network traffic helps identify unusual patterns or behaviors that may indicate a security incident. Anomalies can trigger alerts for further investigation and response. Network detection and response solutions grant visibility into network activities that would otherwise go unnoticed, potentially giving security personnel early warning when unannounced changes or suspicious behaviors take place. Streamline Your Firewall Security With AlgoSec Organizations continue to face increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, including attacks that capitalize on misconfigured firewalls – or manipulate firewall configurations directly. Firewall management software has become a valuable tool for maintaining a robust network security posture and ensuring regulatory compliance. AlgoSec plays a vital role enhancing firewall security by automating policy analysis, optimizing rule sets, streamlining change management, and providing real-time monitoring and visibility. Find out how to make the most of your firewall deployment and detect unauthorized changes to firewall configurations with our help. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Common Firewall Threats Do you really know what vulnerabilities currently exist in your enterprise firewalls? Your vulnerability scans... Cyber Attacks & Incident Response Top 10 common firewall threats and vulnerabilities Kevin Beaver 2 min read Kevin Beaver Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 7/16/15 Published Common Firewall Threats Do you really know what vulnerabilities currently exist in your enterprise firewalls? Your vulnerability scans are coming up clean. Your penetration tests have not revealed anything of significance. Therefore, everything’s in check, right? Not necessarily. In my work performing independent security assessments , I have found over the years that numerous firewall-related vulnerabilities can be present right under your nose. Sometimes they’re blatantly obvious. Other times, not so much. Here are my top 10 common firewall vulnerabilities that you need to be on the lookout for listed in order of typical significance/priority: Password(s) are set to the default which creates every security problem imaginable, including accountability issues when network events occur. Anyone on the Internet can access Microsoft SQL Server databases hosted internally which can lead to internal database access, especially when SQL Server has the default credentials (sa/password) or an otherwise weak password. Firewall OS software is outdated and no longer supported which can facilitate known exploits including remote code execution and denial of service attacks, and might not look good in the eyes of third-parties if a breach occurs and it’s made known that the system was outdated. Anyone on the Internet can access the firewall via unencrypted HTTP connections, as these can be exploited by an outsider who’s on the same network segment such as an open/unencrypted wireless network. Anti-spoofing controls are not enabled on the external interface which can facilitate denial of service and related attacks. Rules exist without logging which can be especially problematic for critical systems/services. Any protocol/service can connect between internal network segments which can lead to internal breaches and compliance violations, especially as it relates to PCI DSS cardholder data environments. Anyone on the internal network can access the firewall via unencrypted telnet connections. These connections can be exploited by an internal user (or malware) if ARP poisoning is enabled via a tool such as the free password recovery program Cain & Abel . Any type of TCP or UDP service can exit the network which can enable the spreading of malware and spam and lead to acceptable usage and related policy violations. Rules exist without any documentation which can create security management issues, especially when firewall admins leave the organization abruptly. Firewall Threats and Solutions Every security issue – whether confirmed or potential – is subject to your own interpretation and needs. But the odds are good that these firewall vulnerabilities are creating tangible business risks for your organization today. But the good news is that these security issues are relatively easy to fix. Obviously, you’ll want to think through most of them before “fixing” them as you can quickly create more problems than you’re solving. And you might consider testing these changes on a less critical firewall or, if you’re lucky enough, in a test environment. Ultimately understanding the true state of your firewall security is not only good for minimizing network risks, it can also be beneficial in terms of documenting your network, tweaking its architecture, and fine-tuning some of your standards, policies, and procedures that involve security hardening, change management, and the like. And the most important step is acknowledging that these firewall vulnerabilities exist in the first place! Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Insecure Service Protocols and Ports Okay, we all have them… they’re everyone’s dirty little network security secrets that we try not to... Risk Management and Vulnerabilities Removing insecure protocols In networks Matthew Pascucci 2 min read Matthew Pascucci Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 7/15/14 Published Insecure Service Protocols and Ports Okay, we all have them… they’re everyone’s dirty little network security secrets that we try not to talk about. They’re the protocols that we don’t mention in a security audit or to other people in the industry for fear that we’ll be publicly embarrassed. Yes, I’m talking about cleartext protocols which are running rampant across many networks. They’re in place because they work, and they work well, so no one has had a reason to upgrade them. Why upgrade something if it’s working right? Wrong. These protocols need to go the way of records, 8-tracks and cassettes (many of these protocols were fittingly developed during the same era). You’re putting your business and data at serious risk by running these insecure protocols. There are many insecure protocols that are exposing your data in cleartext, but let’s focus on the three most widely used ones: FTP, Telnet and SNMP. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) This is by far the most popular of the insecure protocols in use today. It’s the king of all cleartext protocols and one that needs to be smitten from your network before it’s too late. The problem with FTP is that all authentication is done in cleartext which leaves little room for the security of your data. To put things into perspective, FTP was first released in 1971, almost 45 years ago. In 1971 the price of gas was 40 cents a gallon, Disneyland had just opened and a company called FedEx was established. People, this was a long time ago. You need to migrate from FTP and start using an updated and more secure method for file transfers, such as HTTPS, SFTP or FTPS. These three protocols use encryption on the wire and during authentication to secure the transfer of files and login. Telnet If FTP is the king of all insecure file transfer protocols then telnet is supreme ruler of all cleartext network terminal protocols. Just like FTP, telnet was one of the first protocols that allowed you to remotely administer equipment. It became the defacto standard until it was discovered that it passes authentication using cleartext. At this point you need to hunt down all equipment that is still running telnet and replace it with SSH, which uses encryption to protect authentication and data transfer. This shouldn’t be a huge change unless your gear cannot support SSH. Many appliances or networking gear running telnet will either need the service enabled or the OS upgraded. If both of these options are not appropriate, you need to get new equipment, case closed. I know money is an issue at times, but if you’re running a 45 year old protocol on your network with the inability to update it, you need to rethink your priorities. The last thing you want is an attacker gaining control of your network via telnet. Its game over at this point. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) This is one of those sneaky protocols that you don’t think is going to rear its ugly head and bite you, but it can! escortdate escorts . There are multiple versions of SNMP, and you need to be particularly careful with versions 1 and 2. For those not familiar with SNMP, it’s a protocol that enables the management and monitoring of remote systems. Once again, the strings can be sent via cleartext, and if you have access to these credentials you can connect to the system and start gaining a foothold on the network, including managing, applying new configurations or gaining in-depth monitoring details of the network. In short, it a great help for attackers if they can get hold of these credentials. Luckily version 3.0 of SNMP has enhanced security that protects you from these types of attacks. So you must review your network and make sure that SNMP v1 and v2 are not being used. These are just three of the more popular but insecure protocols that are still in heavy use across many networks today. By performing an audit of your firewalls and systems to identify these protocols, preferably using an automated tool such as AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer , you should be able to pretty quickly create a list of these protocols in use across your network. It’s also important to proactively analyze every change to your firewall policy (again preferably with an automated tool for security change management ) to make sure no one introduces insecure protocol access without proper visibility and approval. Finally, don’t feel bad telling a vendor or client that you won’t send data using these protocols. If they’re making you use them, there’s a good chance that there are other security issues going on in their network that you should be concerned about. It’s time to get rid of these protocols. They’ve had their usefulness, but the time has come for them to be sunset for good. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

As you may have heard already, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a joint... Cloud Security Drovorub’s Ability to Conceal C2 Traffic And Its Implications For Docker Containers Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 8/15/20 Published As you may have heard already, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory about previously undisclosed Russian malware called Drovorub. According to the report, the malware is designed for Linux systems as part of its cyber espionage operations. Drovorub is a Linux malware toolset that consists of an implant coupled with a kernel module rootkit, a file transfer and port forwarding tool, and a Command and Control (C2) server. The name Drovorub originates from the Russian language. It is a complex word that consists of 2 roots (not the full words): “drov” and “rub” . The “o” in between is used to join both roots together. The root “drov” forms a noun “drova” , which translates to “firewood” , or “wood” . The root “rub” /ˈruːb/ forms a verb “rubit” , which translates to “to fell” , or “to chop” . Hence, the original meaning of this word is indeed a “woodcutter” . What the report omits, however, is that apart from the classic interpretation, there is also slang. In the Russian computer slang, the word “drova” is widely used to denote “drivers” . The word “rubit” also has other meanings in Russian. It may mean to kill, to disable, to switch off. In the Russian slang, “rubit” also means to understand something very well, to be professional in a specific field. It resonates with the English word “sharp” – to be able to cut through the problem. Hence, we have 3 possible interpretations of ‘ Drovorub ‘: someone who chops wood – “дроворуб” someone who disables other kernel-mode drivers – “тот, кто отрубает / рубит драйвера” someone who understands kernel-mode drivers very well – “тот, кто (хорошо) рубит в драйверах” Given that Drovorub does not disable other drivers, the last interpretation could be the intended one. In that case, “Drovorub” could be a code name of the project or even someone’s nickname. Let’s put aside the intricacies of the Russian translations and get a closer look into the report. DISCLAIMER Before we dive into some of the Drovorub analysis aspects, we need to make clear that neither FBI nor NSA has shared any hashes or any samples of Drovorub. Without the samples, it’s impossible to conduct a full reverse engineering analysis of the malware. Netfilter Hiding According to the report, the Drovorub-kernel module registers a Netfilter hook. A network packet filter with a Netfilter hook ( NF_INET_LOCAL_IN and NF_INET_LOCAL_OUT ) is a common malware technique. It allows a backdoor to watch passively for certain magic packets or series of packets, to extract C2 traffic. What is interesting though, is that the driver also hooks the kernel’s nf_register_hook() function. The hook handler will register the original Netfilter hook, then un-register it, then re-register the kernel’s own Netfilter hook. According to the nf_register_hook() function in the Netfilter’s source , if two hooks have the same protocol family (e.g., PF_INET ), and the same hook identifier (e.g., NF_IP_INPUT ), the hook execution sequence is determined by priority. The hook list enumerator breaks at the position of an existing hook with a priority number elem->priority higher than the new hook’s priority number reg->priority : int nf_register_hook ( struct nf_hook_ops * reg) { struct nf_hook_ops * elem; int err; err = mutex_lock_interruptible( & nf_hook_mutex); if (err < 0 ) return err; list_for_each_entry(elem, & nf_hooks[reg -> pf][reg -> hooknum], list) { if (reg -> priority < elem -> priority) break ; } list_add_rcu( & reg -> list, elem -> list.prev); mutex_unlock( & nf_hook_mutex); ... return 0 ; } In that case, the new hook is inserted into the list, so that the higher-priority hook’s PREVIOUS link would point into the newly inserted hook. What happens if the new hook’s priority is also the same, such as NF_IP_PRI_FIRST – the maximum hook priority? In that case, the break condition will not be met, the list iterator list_for_each_entry will slide past the existing hook, and the new hook will be inserted after it as if the new hook’s priority was higher. By re-inserting its Netfilter hook in the hook handler of the nf_register_hook() function, the driver makes sure the Drovorub’s Netfilter hook will beat any other registered hook at the same hook number and with the same (maximum) priority. If the intercepted TCP packet does not belong to the hidden TCP connection, or if it’s destined to or originates from another process, hidden by Drovorub’s kernel-mode driver, the hook will return 5 ( NF_STOP ). Doing so will prevent other hooks from being called to process the same packet. Security Implications For Docker Containers Given that Drovorub toolset targets Linux and contains a port forwarding tool to route network traffic to other hosts on the compromised network, it would not be entirely unreasonable to assume that this toolset was detected in a client’s cloud infrastructure. According to Gartner’s prediction , in just two years, more than 75% of global organizations will be running cloud-native containerized applications in production, up from less than 30% today. Would the Drovorub toolset survive, if the client’s cloud infrastructure was running containerized applications? Would that facilitate the attack or would it disrupt it? Would it make the breach stealthier? To answer these questions, we have tested a different malicious toolset, CloudSnooper, reported earlier this year by Sophos. Just like Drovorub, CloudSnooper’s kernel-mode driver also relies on a Netfilter hook ( NF_INET_LOCAL_IN and NF_INET_LOCAL_OUT ) to extract C2 traffic from the intercepted TCP packets. As seen in the FBI/NSA report, the Volatility framework was used to carve the Drovorub kernel module out of the host, running CentOS. In our little lab experiment, let’s also use CentOS host. To build a new Docker container image, let’s construct the following Dockerfile: FROM scratch ADD centos-7.4.1708-docker.tar.xz / ADD rootkit.ko / CMD [“/bin/bash”] The new image, built from scratch, will have the CentOS 7.4 installed. The kernel-mode rootkit will be added to its root directory. Let’s build an image from our Dockerfile, and call it ‘test’: [root@localhost 1]# docker build . -t test Sending build context to Docker daemon 43.6MB Step 1/4 : FROM scratch —> Step 2/4 : ADD centos-7.4.1708-docker.tar.xz / —> 0c3c322f2e28 Step 3/4 : ADD rootkit.ko / —> 5aaa26212769 Step 4/4 : CMD [“/bin/bash”] —> Running in 8e34940342a2 Removing intermediate container 8e34940342a2 —> 575e3875cdab Successfully built 575e3875cdab Successfully tagged test:latest Next, let’s execute our image interactively (with pseudo-TTY and STDIN ): docker run -it test The executed image will be waiting for our commands: [root@8921e4c7d45e /]# Next, let’s try to load the malicious kernel module: [root@8921e4c7d45e /]# insmod rootkit.ko The output of this command is: insmod: ERROR: could not insert module rootkit.ko: Operation not permitted The reason why it failed is that by default, Docker containers are ‘unprivileged’. Loading a kernel module from a docker container requires a special privilege that allows it doing so. Let’s repeat our experiment. This time, let’s execute our image either in a fully privileged mode or by enabling only one capability – a capability to load and unload kernel modules ( SYS_MODULE ). docker run -it –privileged test or docker run -it –cap-add SYS_MODULE test Let’s load our driver again: [root@547451b8bf87 /]# insmod rootkit.ko This time, the command is executed silently. Running lsmod command allows us to enlist the driver and to prove it was loaded just fine. A little magic here is to quit the docker container and then delete its image: docker rmi -f test Next, let’s execute lsmod again, only this time on the host. The output produced by lsmod will confirm the rootkit module is loaded on the host even after the container image is fully unloaded from memory and deleted! Let’s see what ports are open on the host: [root@localhost 1]# netstat -tulpn Active Internet connections (only servers) Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State PID/Program name tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:22 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 1044/sshd With the SSH server running on port 22 , let’s send a C2 ‘ping’ command to the rootkit over port 22 : [root@localhost 1]# python client.py 127.0.0.1 22 8080 rrootkit-negotiation: hello The ‘hello’ response from the rootkit proves it’s fully operational. The Netfilter hook detects a command concealed in a TCP packet transferred over port 22 , even though the host runs SSH server on port 22 . How was it possible that a rootkit loaded from a docker container ended up loaded on the host? The answer is simple: a docker container is not a virtual machine. Despite the namespace and ‘control groups’ isolation, it still relies on the same kernel as the host. Therefore, a kernel-mode rootkit loaded from inside a Docker container instantly compromises the host, thus allowing the attackers to compromise other containers that reside on the same host. It is true that by default, a Docker container is ‘unprivileged’ and hence, may not load kernel-mode drivers. However, if a host is compromised, or if a trojanized container image detects the presence of the SYS_MODULE capability (as required by many legitimate Docker containers), loading a kernel-mode rootkit on a host from inside a container becomes a trivial task. Detecting the SYS_MODULE capability ( cap_sys_module ) from inside the container: [root@80402f9c2e4c /]# capsh –print Current: = cap_chown, … cap_sys_module, … Conclusion This post is drawing a parallel between the recently reported Drovorub rootkit and CloudSnooper, a rootkit reported earlier this year. Allegedly built by different teams, both of these Linux rootkits have one mechanism in common: a Netfilter hook ( NF_INET_LOCAL_IN and NF_INET_LOCAL_OUT ) and a toolset that enables tunneling of the traffic to other hosts within the same compromised cloud infrastructure. We are still hunting for the hashes and samples of Drovorub. Unfortunately, the YARA rules published by FBI/NSA cause False Positives. For example, the “Rule to detect Drovorub-server, Drovorub-agent, and Drovorub-client binaries based on unique strings and strings indicating statically linked libraries” enlists the following strings: “Poco” “Json” “OpenSSL” “clientid” “—–BEGIN” “—–END” “tunnel” The string “Poco” comes from the POCO C++ Libraries that are used for over 15 years. It is w-a-a-a-a-y too generic, even in combination with other generic strings. As a result, all these strings, along with the ELF header and a file size between 1MB and 10MB, produce a false hit on legitimate ARM libraries, such as a library used for GPS navigation on Android devices: f058ebb581f22882290b27725df94bb302b89504 56c36bfd4bbb1e3084e8e87657f02dbc4ba87755 Nevertheless, based on the information available today, our interest is naturally drawn to the security implications of these Linux rootkits for the Docker containers. Regardless of what security mechanisms may have been compromised, Docker containers contribute an additional attack surface, another opportunity for the attackers to compromise the hosts and other containers within the same organization. The scenario outlined in this post is purely hypothetical. There is no evidence that supports that Drovorub may have affected any containers. However, an increase in volume and sophistication of attacks against Linux-based cloud-native production environments, coupled with the increased proliferation of containers, suggests that such a scenario may, in fact, be plausible. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

What is network change management? Network Change Management (NCM) is the process of planning, testing, and approving changes to a... Network Security Policy Management Network Change Management: Best Practices for 2024 Tsippi Dach 2 min read Tsippi Dach Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 2/8/24 Published What is network change management? Network Change Management (NCM) is the process of planning, testing, and approving changes to a network infrastructure. The goal is to minimize network disruptions by following standardized procedures for controlled network changes. NCM, or network configuration and change management (NCCM), is all about staying connected and keeping things in check. When done the right way, it lets IT teams seamlessly roll out and track change requests, and boost the network’s overall performance and safety. There are 2 main approaches to implementing NCM: manual and automated. Manual NCM is a popular choice that’s usually complex and time-consuming. A poor implementation may yield faulty or insecure configurations causing disruptions or potential noncompliance. These setbacks can cause application outages and ultimately need extra work to resolve. Fortunately, specialized solutions like the AlgoSec platform and its FireFlow solution exist to address these concerns. With inbuilt intelligent automation, these solutions make NCM easier as they cut out errors and rework usually tied to manual NCM. The network change management process The network change management process is a structured approach that organizations use to manage and implement changes to their network infrastructure. When networks are complex with many interdependent systems and components, change needs to be managed carefully to avoid unintended impacts. A systematic NCM process is essential to make the required changes promptly, minimize risks associated with network modifications, ensure compliance, and maintain network stability. The most effective NCM process leverages an automated NCM solution like the intelligent automation provided by the AlgoSec platform to streamline effort, reduce the risks of redundant changes, and curtail network outages and downtime. The key steps involved in the network change management process are: Step 1: Security policy development and documentation Creating a comprehensive set of security policies involves identifying the organization’s specific security requirements, relevant regulations, and industry best practices. These policies and procedures help establish baseline configurations for network devices. They govern how network changes should be performed – from authorization to execution and management. They also document who is responsible for what, how critical systems and information are protected, and how backups are planned. In this way, they address various aspects of network security and integrity, such as access control , encryption, incident response, and vulnerability management. Step 2: Change the request A formal change request process streamlines how network changes are requested and approved. Every proposed change is clearly documented, preventing the implementation of ad-hoc or unauthorized changes. Using an automated tool ensures that every change complies with the regulatory standards relevant to the organization, such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, NIST FISMA, etc. This tool should be able to send automated notifications to relevant stakeholders, such as the Change Advisory Board (CAB), who are required to validate and approve normal and emergency changes (see below). Step 3: Change Implementation Standard changes – those implemented using a predetermined process, need no validation or testing as they’re already deemed low- or no-risk. Examples include installing a printer or replacing a user’s laptop. These changes can be easily managed, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption to daily operations. On the other hand, normal and emergency changes require testing and validation, as they pose a more significant risk if not implemented correctly. Normal changes, such as adding a new server or migrating from on-premises to the cloud, entail careful planning and execution. Emergency changes address urgent issues that could introduce risks if not resolved promptly, like failing to install security patches or software upgrades, which may leave networks vulnerable to zero-day exploits and cyberattacks. Testing uncovers these potential risks, such as network downtime or new vulnerabilities that increase the likelihood of a malware attack. Automated network change management (NCM) solutions streamline simple changes, saving time and effort. For instance, AlgoSec’s firewall policy cleanup solution optimizes changes related to firewall policies, enhancing efficiency. Documenting all implemented changes is vital, as it maintains accountability and service level agreements (SLAs) while providing an audit trail for optimization purposes. The documentation should outline the implementation process, identified risks, and recommended mitigation steps. Network teams must establish monitoring systems to continuously review performance and flag potential issues during change implementation. They must also set up automated configuration backups for devices like routers and firewalls ensuring that organizations can recover from change errors and avoid expensive downtime. Step 4: Troubleshooting and rollbacks Rollback procedures are important because they provide a way to restore the network to its original state (or the last known “good” configuration) if the proposed change could introduce additional risk into the network or deteriorate network performance. Some automated tools include ready-to-use templates to simplify configuration changes and rollbacks. The best platforms use a tested change approval process that enables organizations to avoid bad, invalid, or risky configuration changes before they can be deployed. Troubleshooting is also part of the NCM process. Teams must be trained in identifying and resolving network issues as they emerge, and in managing any incidents that may result from an implemented change. They must also know how to roll back changes using both automated and manual methods. Step 5: Network automation and integration Automated network change management (NCM) solutions streamline and automate key aspects of the change process, such as risk analysis, implementation, validation, and auditing. These automated solutions prevent redundant or unauthorized changes, ensuring compliance with applicable regulations before deployment. Multi-vendor configuration management tools eliminate the guesswork in network configuration and change management. They empower IT or network change management teams to: Set real-time alerts to track and monitor every change Detect and prevent unauthorized, rogue, and potentially dangerous changes Document all changes, aiding in SLA tracking and maintaining accountability Provide a comprehensive audit trail for auditors Execute automatic backups after every configuration change Communicate changes to all relevant stakeholders in a common “language” Roll back undesirable changes as needed AlgoSec’s NCM platform can also be integrated with IT service management (ITSM) and ticketing systems to improve communication and collaboration between various teams such as IT operations and admins. Infrastructure as code (IaC) offers another way to automate network change management. IaC enables organizations to “codify” their configuration specifications in config files. These configuration templates make it easy to provision, distribute, and manage the network infrastructure while preventing ad-hoc, undocumented, or risky changes. Risks associated with network change management Network change management is a necessary aspect of network configuration management. However, it also introduces several risks that organizations should be aware of. Network downtime The primary goal of any change to the network should be to avoid unnecessary downtime. Whenever these network changes fail or throw errors, there’s a high chance of network downtime or general performance. Depending on how long the outage lasts, it usually results in users losing productive time and loss of significant revenue and reputation for the organization. IT service providers may also have to monitor and address potential issues, such as IP address conflicts, firmware upgrades, and device lifecycle management. Human errors Manual configuration changes introduce human errors that can result in improper or insecure device configurations. These errors are particularly prevalent in complex or large-scale changes and can increase the risk of unauthorized or rogue changes. Security issues Manual network change processes may lead to outdated policies and rulesets, heightening the likelihood of security concerns. These issues expose organizations to significant threats and can cause inconsistent network changes and integration problems that introduce additional security risks. A lack of systematic NCM processes can further increase the risk of security breaches due to weak change control and insufficient oversight of configuration files, potentially allowing rogue changes and exposing organizations to various cyberattacks. Compliance issues Poor NCM processes and controls increase the risk of non-compliance with regulatory requirements. This can potentially result in hefty financial penalties and legal liabilities that may affect the organization’s bottom line, reputation, and customer relationships. Rollback failures and backup issues Manual rollbacks can be time-consuming and cumbersome, preventing network teams from focusing on higher-value tasks. Additionally, a failure to execute rollbacks properly can lead to prolonged network downtime. It can also lead to unforeseen issues like security flaws and exploits. For network change management to be effective, it’s vital to set up automated backups of network configurations to prevent data loss, prolonged downtime, and slow recovery from outages. Troubleshooting issues Inconsistent or incorrect configuration baselines can complicate troubleshooting efforts. These wrong baselines increase the chances of human error, which leads to incorrect configurations and introduces security vulnerabilities into the network. Simplified network change management with AlgoSec AlgoSec’s configuration management solution automates and streamlines network management for organizations of all types. It provides visibility into the configuration of every network device and automates many aspects of the NCM process, including change requests, approval workflows, and configuration backups. This enables teams to safely and collaboratively manage changes and efficiently roll back whenever issues or outages arise. The AlgoSec platform monitors configuration changes in real-time. It also provides compliance assessments and reports for many security standards, thus helping organizations to strengthen and maintain their compliance posture. Additionally, its lifecycle management capabilities simplify the handling of network devices from deployment to retirement. Vulnerability detection and risk analysis features are also included in AlgoSec’s solution. The platform leverages these features to analyze the potential impact of network changes and highlight possible risks and vulnerabilities. This information enables network teams to control changes and ensure that there are no security gaps in the network. Click here to request a free demo of AlgoSec’s feature-rich platform and its configuration management tools. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Cybersecurity is an ever prevalent issue. Malicious hackers are becoming more agile by using sophisticated techniques that are always... Cloud Security Prevasio’s Role in Red Team Exercises and Pen Testing Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 12/21/20 Published Cybersecurity is an ever prevalent issue. Malicious hackers are becoming more agile by using sophisticated techniques that are always evolving. This makes it a top priority for companies to stay on top of their organization’s network security to ensure that sensitive and confidential information is not leaked or exploited in any way. Let’s take a look at the Red/Blue Team concept, Pen Testing, and Prevasio’s role in ensuring your network and systems remain secure in a Docker container atmosphere. What is the Red/Blue Team Concept? The red/blue team concept is an effective technique that uses exercises and simulations to assess a company’s cybersecurity strength. The results allow organizations to identify which aspects of the network are functioning as intended and which areas are vulnerable and need improvement. The idea is that two teams (red and blue) of cybersecurity professionals face off against each other. The Red Team’s Role It is easiest to think of the red team as the offense. This group aims to infiltrate a company’s network using sophisticated real-world techniques and exploit potential vulnerabilities. It is important to note that the team comprises highly skilled ethical hackers or cybersecurity professionals. Initial access is typically gained by stealing an employee’s, department, or company-wide user credentials. From there, the red team will then work its way across systems as it increases its level of privilege in the network. The team will penetrate as much of the system as possible. It is important to note that this is just a simulation, so all actions taken are ethical and without malicious intent. The Blue Team’s Role The blue team is the defense. This team is typically made up of a group of incident response consultants or IT security professionals specially trained in preventing and stopping attacks. The goal of the blue team is to put a stop to ongoing attacks, return the network and its systems to a normal state, and prevent future attacks by fixing the identified vulnerabilities. Prevention is ideal when it comes to cybersecurity attacks. Unfortunately, that is not always possible. The next best thing is to minimize “breakout time” as much as possible. The “breakout time” is the window between when the network’s integrity is first compromised and when the attacker can begin moving through the system. Importance of Red/Blue Team Exercises Cybersecurity simulations are important for protecting organizations against a wide range of sophisticated attacks. Let’s take a look at the benefits of red/blue team exercises: Identify vulnerabilities Identify areas of improvement Learn how to detect and contain an attack Develop response techniques to handle attacks as quickly as possible Identify gaps in the existing security Strengthen security and shorten breakout time Nurture cooperation in your IT department Increase your IT team’s skills with low-risk training What are Pen Testing Teams? Many organizations do not have red/blue teams but have a Pen Testing (aka penetration testing) team instead. Pen testing teams participate in exercises where the goal is to find and exploit as many vulnerabilities as possible. The overall goal is to find the weaknesses of the system that malicious hackers could take advantage of. Companies’ best way to conduct pen tests is to use outside professionals who do not know about the network or its systems. This paints a more accurate picture of where vulnerabilities lie. What are the Types of Pen Testing? Open-box pen test – The hacker is provided with limited information about the organization. Closed-box pen test – The hacker is provided with absolutely no information about the company. Covert pen test – In this type of test, no one inside the company, except the person who hires the outside professional, knows that the test is taking place. External pen test – This method is used to test external security. Internal pen test – This method is used to test the internal network. The Prevasio Solution Prevasio’s solution is geared towards increasing the effectiveness of red teams for organizations that have taken steps to containerize their applications and now rely on docker containers to ship their applications to production. The benefits of Prevasio’s solution to red teams include: Auto penetration testing that helps teams conduct break-and-attack simulations on company applications. It can also be used as an integrated feature inside the CI/CD to provide reachability assurance. The behavior analysis will allow teams to identify unintentional internal oversights of best practices. The solution features the ability to intercept and scan encrypted HTTPS traffic. This helps teams determine if any credentials should not be transmitted. Prevasio container security solution with its cutting-edge analyzer performs both static and dynamic analysis of the containers during runtime to ensure the safest design possible. Moving Forward Cyberattacks are as real of a threat to your organization’s network and systems as physical attacks from burglars and robbers. They can have devastating consequences for your company and your brand. The bottom line is that you always have to be one step ahead of cyberattackers and ready to take action, should a breach be detected. The best way to do this is to work through real-world simulations and exercises that prepare your IT department for the worst and give them practice on how to respond. After all, it is better for your team (or a hired ethical hacker) to find a vulnerability before a real hacker does. Simulations should be conducted regularly since the technology and methods used to hack are constantly changing. The result is a highly trained team and a network that is as secure as it can be. Prevasio is an effective solution in conducting breach and attack simulations that help red/blue teams and pen testing teams do their jobs better in Docker containers. Our team is just as dedicated to the security of your organization as you are. Click here to learn more start your free trial. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... 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In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology, containers have become a cornerstone for deploying and managing applications... Cloud Network Security Enhancing container security: A comprehensive overview and solution Nitin Rajput 2 min read Nitin Rajput Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. cloudsecurity, cnapp, networksecurity Tags Share this article 1/23/24 Published In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology, containers have become a cornerstone for deploying and managing applications efficiently. However, with the increasing reliance on containers, understanding their intricacies and addressing security concerns has become paramount. In this blog, we will delve into the fundamental concept of containers and explore the crucial security challenges they pose. Additionally, we will introduce a cutting-edge solution from our technology partner, Prevasio, that empowers organizations to fortify their containerized environments. Understanding containers At its core, a container is a standardized software package that seamlessly bundles and isolates applications for deployment. By encapsulating an application’s code and dependencies, containers ensure consistent performance across diverse computing environments. Notably, containers share access to an operating system (OS) kernel without the need for traditional virtual machines (VMs), making them an ideal choice for running microservices or large-scale applications. Security concerns in containers Container security encompasses a spectrum of risks, ranging from misconfigured privileges to malware infiltration in container images. Key concerns include using vulnerable container images, lack of visibility into container overlay networks, and the potential spread of malware between containers and operating systems. Recognizing these challenges is the first step towards building a robust security strategy for containerized environments. Introducing Prevasio’s innovative solution In collaboration with our technology partner Prevasio, we’ve identified an advanced approach to mitigating container security risks. Prevasio’s Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) is an unparalleled, agentless solution designed to enhance visibility into security and compliance gaps. This empowers cloud operations and security teams to prioritize risks and adhere to internet security benchmarks effectively. Dynamic threat protection for containers Prevasio’s focus on threat protection for containers involves a comprehensive static and dynamic analysis. In the static analysis phase, Prevasio meticulously scans packages for malware and known vulnerabilities, ensuring that container images are free from Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) or viruses during the deployment process. On the dynamic analysis front, Prevasio employs a multifaceted approach, including: Behavioral analysis : Identifying malware that evades static scanners by analyzing dynamic payloads. Network traffic inspection : Intercepting and inspecting all container-generated network traffic, including HTTPS, to detect any anomalous patterns. Activity correlation : Establishing a visual hierarchy, presented as a force-directed graph, to identify problematic containers swiftly. This includes monitoring new file executions and executed scripts within shells, enabling the identification of potential remote access points. In conclusion, container security is a critical aspect of modern application deployment. By understanding the nuances of containers and partnering with innovative solutions like Prevasio’s CNAPP, organizations can fortify their cloud-native applications, mitigate risks, and ensure compliance in an ever-evolving digital landscape. #cloudsecurity #CNAPP #networksecurity Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Hey folks, let's be real. Change in the tech world can be a real pain. Especially when it's not on your terms. We've all heard the news... When change forces your hand: Finding solid ground after Skybox Asher Benbenisty 2 min read Asher Benbenisty Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 3/3/25 Published Hey folks, let's be real. Change in the tech world can be a real pain. Especially when it's not on your terms. We've all heard the news about Skybox closing its doors, and if you're like a lot of us, you're probably feeling a mix of frustration and "what now?" It's tough when a private equity decision, like the one impacting Skybox, shakes up your network security strategy. You've invested time and resources in your Skybox implementation, and now you're looking at a forced switch. But here's the thing: sometimes, these moments are opportunities in disguise. Think of it this way: you get a chance to really dig into what you actually need for the future, beyond what you were getting from Skybox. So, what do you need, especially after the Skybox shutdown? We get it. You need a platform that: Handles the mess: Your network isn't simple anymore. It's a mix of cloud and on-premise, and it's only getting more complex. You need a single platform that can handle it all, providing clear visibility and control, something that perhaps you were looking for from Skybox. Saves you time: Let's be honest, security policy changes shouldn't take weeks. You need something that gets it done in hours, not days, a far cry from the potential delays you might have experienced with Skybox. Keeps you safe : You need AI-driven risk mitigation that actually works. Has your back : You need 24/7 support, especially during a transition. Is actually good : You need proof, not just promises. That's where AlgoSec comes in. We're not just another vendor. We've been around for 21 years, consistently growing and focusing on our customers. We're a company built by founders who care, not just a line item on a private equity spreadsheet, unlike the recent change that has impacted Skybox. Here's why we think AlgoSec is the right choice for you: We get the complexity : Our platform is designed to secure applications across those complex, converging environments. We're talking cloud, on-premise, everything. We're fast : We're talking about reducing those policy change times from weeks to hours. Imagine what you could do with that time back. We're proven : Don't just take our word for it. Check out Gartner Peer Insights, G2, and PeerSpot. Our customers consistently rank us at the top. We're stable : We have a clean legal and financial record, and we're in it for the long haul. We stand behind our product : We're the only ones offering a money-back guarantee. That's how confident we are. For our channel partners: We know this transition affects you too. Your clients are looking for answers, and you need a partner you can trust, especially as you navigate the Skybox situation. Give your clients the future : Offer them a platform that's built for the complex networks of tomorrow. Partner with a leade r: We're consistently ranked as a top solution by customers. Join a stable team : We have a proven track record of growth and stability. Strong partnerships : We have a strong partnership with Cisco, and are the only company in our category included on the Cisco Global Pricelist. A proven network : Join our successful partner network, and utilize our case studies to help demonstrate the value of AlgoSec. What you will get : Dedicated partner support. Comprehensive training and enablement. Marketing resources and joint marketing opportunities. Competitive margins and incentives. Access to a growing customer base. Let's talk real talk: Look, we know switching platforms isn't fun. But it's a chance to get it right. To choose a solution that's built for the future, not just the next quarter. We're here to help you through this transition. We're committed to providing the support and stability you need. We're not just selling software; we're building partnerships. So, if you're looking for a down-to-earth, customer-focused company that's got your back, let's talk. We're ready to show you what AlgoSec can do. What are your biggest concerns about switching network security platforms? Let us know in the comments! Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

All organizations eventually inherit outdated technology infrastructure. As new technology becomes available, old apps and services... Firewall Change Management The Application Migration Checklist Asher Benbenisty 2 min read Asher Benbenisty Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 10/25/23 Published All organizations eventually inherit outdated technology infrastructure. As new technology becomes available, old apps and services become increasingly expensive to maintain. That expense can come in a variety of forms: Decreased productivity compared to competitors using more modern IT solutions. Greater difficulty scaling IT asset deployments and managing the device life cycle . Security and downtime risks coming from new vulnerabilities and emerging threats. Cloud computing is one of the most significant developments of the past decade. Organizations are increasingly moving their legacy IT assets to new environments hosted on cloud services like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure. Cloud migration projects enable organizations to dramatically improve productivity, scalability, and security by transforming on-premises applications to cloud-hosted solutions. However, cloud migration projects are among the most complex undertakings an organization can attempt. Some reports state that nine out of ten migration projects experience failure or disruption at some point, and only one out of four meet their proposed deadlines. The better prepared you are for your application migration project , the more likely it is to succeed. Keep the following migration checklist handy while pursuing this kind of initiative at your company. Step 1: Assessing Your Applications The more you know about your legacy applications and their characteristics, the more comprehensive you can be with pre-migration planning. Start by identifying the legacy applications that you want to move to the cloud. Pay close attention to the dependencies that your legacy applications have. You will need to ensure the availability of those resources in an IT environment that is very different from the typical on-premises data center. You may need to configure cloud-hosted resources to meet specific needs that are unique to your organization and its network architecture. Evaluate the criticality of each legacy application you plan on migrating to the cloud. You will have to prioritize certain applications over others, minimizing disruption while ensuring the cloud-hosted infrastructure can support the workload you are moving to. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to application migration. The inventory assessment may bring new information to light and force you to change your initial approach. It’s best that you make these accommodations now rather than halfway through the application migration project. Step 2: Choosing the Right Migration Strategy Once you know what applications you want to move to the cloud and what additional dependencies must be addressed for them to work properly, you’re ready to select a migration strategy. These are generalized models that indicate how you’ll transition on-premises applications to cloud-hosted ones in the context of your specific IT environment. Some of the options you should gain familiarity with include: Lift and Shift (Rehosting). This option enables you to automate the migration process using tools like CloudEndure Migration, AWS VM Import/Export, and others. The lift and shift model is well-suited to organizations that need to migrate compatible large-scale enterprise applications without too many additional dependencies, or organizations that are new to the cloud. Replatforming. This is a modified version of the lift and shift model. Essentially, it introduces an additional step where you change the configuration of legacy apps to make them better-suited to the cloud environment. By adding a modernization phase to the process, you can leverage more of the cloud’s unique benefits and migrate more complex apps. Refactoring/Re-architecting. This strategy involves rewriting applications from scratch to make them cloud-native. This allows you to reap the full benefits of cloud technology. Your new applications will be scalable, efficient, and agile to the maximum degree possible. However, it’s a time-consuming, resource-intensive project that introduces significant business risk into the equation. Repurchasing. This is where the organization implements a fully mature cloud architecture as a managed service. It typically relies on a vendor offering cloud migration through the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. You will need to pay licensing fees, but the technical details of the migration process will largely be the vendor’s responsibility. This is an easy way to add cloud functionality to existing business processes, but it also comes with the risk of vendor lock-in. Step 3: Building Your Migration Team The success of your project relies on creating and leading a migration team that can respond to the needs of the project at every step. There will be obstacles and unexpected issues along the way – a high-quality team with great leadership is crucial for handling those problems when they arise. Before going into the specifics of assembling a great migration team, you’ll need to identify the key stakeholders who have an interest in seeing the project through. This is extremely important because those stakeholders will want to see their interests represented at the team level. If you neglect to represent a major stakeholder at the team level, you run the risk of having major, expensive project milestones rejected later on. Not all stakeholders will have the same level of involvement, and few will share the same values and goals. Managing them effectively means prioritizing the values and goals they represent, and choosing team members accordingly. Your migration team will consist of systems administrators, technical experts, and security practitioners, and include input from many other departments. You’ll need to formalize a system of communicating inside the core team and messaging stakeholders outside of it. You may also wish to involve end users as a distinct part of your migration team and dedicate time to addressing their concerns throughout the process. Keep team members’ stakeholder alignments and interests in mind when assigning responsibilities. For example, if a particular configuration step requires approval from the finance department, you’ll want to make sure that someone representing that department is involved from the beginning. Step 4: Creating a Migration Plan It’s crucial that every migration project follows a comprehensive plan informed by the needs of the organization itself. Organizations pursue cloud migration for many different reasons – your plan should address the problems you expect cloud-hosted technology to solve. This might mean focusing on reducing costs, enabling entry into a new market, or increasing business agility – or all three. You may have additional reasons for pursuing an application migration plan. This plan should also include data mapping . Choosing the right application performance metrics now will help make the decision-making process much easier down the line. Some of the data points that cloud migration specialists recommend capturing include: Duration highlights the value of employee labor-hours as they perform tasks throughout the process. Operational duration metrics can tell you how much time project managers spend planning the migration process, or whether one phase is taking much longer than another, and why. Disruption metrics can help identify user experience issues that become obstacles to onboarding and full adoption. Collecting data about the availability of critical services and the number of service tickets generated throughout the process can help you gauge the overall success of the initiative from the user’s perspective. Cost includes more than data transfer rates. Application migration initiatives also require creating dependency mappings, changing applications to make them cloud-native, and significant administrative costs. Up to 50% of your migration’s costs pay for labor , and you’ll want to keep close tabs on those costs as the process goes on. Infrastructure metrics like CPU usage, memory usage, network latency, and load balancing are best captured both before and after the project takes place. This will let you understand and communicate the value of the project in its entirety using straightforward comparisons. Application performance metrics like availability figures, error rates, time-outs and throughput will help you calculate the value of the migration process as a whole. This is another post-cloud migration metric that can provide useful before-and-after data. You will also want to establish a series of cloud service-level agreements (SLAs) that ensure a predictable minimum level of service is maintained. This is an important guarantee of the reliability and availability of the cloud-hosted resources you expect to use on a daily basis. Step 5: Mapping Dependencies Mapping dependencies completely and accurately is critical to the success of any migration project. If you don’t have all the elements in your software ecosystem identified correctly, you won’t be able to guarantee that your applications will work in the new environment. Application dependency mapping will help you pinpoint which resources your apps need and allow you to make those resources available. You’ll need to discover and assess every workload your organization undertakes and map out the resources and services it relies on. This process can be automated, which will help large-scale enterprises create accurate maps of complex interdependent processes. In most cases, the mapping process will reveal clusters of applications and services that need to be migrated together. You will have to identify the appropriate windows of opportunity for performing these migrations without disrupting the workloads they process. This often means managing data transfer and database migration tasks and carrying them out in a carefully orchestrated sequence. You may also discover connectivity and VPN requirements that need to be addressed early on. For example, you may need to establish protocols for private access and delegate responsibility for managing connections to someone on your team. Project stakeholders may have additional connectivity needs, like VPN functionality for securing remote connections. These should be reflected in the application dependency mapping process. Multi-cloud compatibility is another issue that will demand your attention at this stage. If your organization plans on using multiple cloud providers and configuring them to run workloads specific to their platform, you will need to make sure that the results of these processes are communicated and stored in compatible formats. Step 6: Selecting a Cloud Provider Once you fully understand the scope and requirements of your application migration project, you can begin comparing cloud providers. Amazon, Microsoft, and Google make up the majority of all public cloud deployments, and the vast majority of organizations start their search with one of these three. Amazon AW S has the largest market share, thanks to starting its cloud infrastructure business several years before its major competitors did. Amazon’s head start makes finding specialist talent easier, since more potential candidates will have familiarity with AWS than with Azure or Google Cloud. Many different vendors offer services through AWS, making it a good choice for cloud deployments that rely on multiple services and third-party subscriptions. Microsoft Azure has a longer history serving enterprise customers, even though its cloud computing division is smaller and younger than Amazon’s. Azure offers a relatively easy transition path that helps enterprise organizations migrate to the cloud without adding a large number of additional vendors to the process. This can help streamline complex cloud deployments, but also increases your reliance on Microsoft as your primary vendor. Google Cloud is the third runner-up in terms of market share. It continues to invest in cloud technologies and is responsible for a few major innovations in the space – like the Kubernetes container orchestration system. Google integrates well with third-party applications and provides a robust set of APIs for high-impact processes like translation and speech recognition. Your organization’s needs will dictate which of the major cloud providers offers the best value. Each provider has a different pricing model, which will impact how your organization arrives at a cost-effective solution. Cloud pricing varies based on customer specifications, usage, and SLAs, which means no single provider is necessarily “the cheapest” or “the most expensive” – it depends on the context. Additional cost considerations you’ll want to take into account include scalability and uptime guarantees. As your organization grows, you will need to expand its cloud infrastructure to accommodate more resource-intensive tasks. This will impact the cost of your cloud subscription in the future. Similarly, your vendor’s uptime guarantee can be a strong indicator of how invested it is in your success. Given all vendors work on the shared responsibility model, it may be prudent to consider an enterprise data backup solution for peace of mind. Step 7: Application Refactoring If you choose to invest time and resources into refactoring applications for the cloud, you’ll need to consider how this impacts the overall project. Modifying existing software to take advantage of cloud-based technologies can dramatically improve the efficiency of your tech stack, but it will involve significant risk and up-front costs. Some of the advantages of refactoring include: Reduced long-term costs. Developers refactor apps with a specific context in mind. The refactored app can be configured to accommodate the resource requirements of the new environment in a very specific manner. This boosts the overall return of investing in application refactoring in the long term and makes the deployment more scalable overall. Greater adaptability when requirements change . If your organization frequently adapts to changing business requirements, refactored applications may provide a flexible platform for accommodating unexpected changes. This makes refactoring attractive for businesses in highly regulated industries, or in scenarios with heightened uncertainty. Improved application resilience . Your cloud-native applications will be decoupled from their original infrastructure. This means that they can take full advantage of the benefits that cloud-hosted technology offers. Features like low-cost redundancy, high-availability, and security automation are much easier to implement with cloud-native apps. Some of the drawbacks you should be aware of include: Vendor lock-in risks . As your apps become cloud-native, they will naturally draw on cloud features that enhance their capabilities. They will end up tightly coupled to the cloud platform you use. You may reach a point where withdrawing those apps and migrating them to a different provider becomes infeasible, or impossible. Time and talent requirements . This process takes a great deal of time and specialist expertise. If your organization doesn’t have ample amounts of both, the process may end up taking too long and costing too much to be feasible. Errors and vulnerabilities . Refactoring involves making major changes to the way applications work. If errors work their way in at this stage, it can deeply impact the usability and security of the workload itself. Organizations can use cloud-based templates to address some of these risks, but it will take comprehensive visibility into how applications interact with cloud security policies to close every gap. Step 8: Data Migration There are many factors to take into consideration when moving data from legacy applications to cloud-native apps. Some of the things you’ll need to plan for include: Selecting the appropriate data transfer method . This depends on how much time you have available for completing the migration, and how well you plan for potential disruptions during the process. If you are moving significant amounts of data through the public internet, sidelining your regular internet connection may be unwise. Offline transfer doesn’t come with this risk, but it will include additional costs. Ensuring data center compatibility. Whether transferring data online or offline, compatibility issues can lead to complex problems and expensive downtime if not properly addressed. Your migration strategy should include a data migration testing strategy that ensures all of your data is properly formatted and ready to use the moment it is introduced to the new environment. Utilizing migration tools for smooth data transfer . The three major cloud providers all offer cloud migration tools with multiple tiers and services. You may need to use these tools to guarantee a smooth transfer experience, or rely on a third-party partner for this step in the process. Step 9: Configuring the Cloud Environment By the time your data arrives in its new environment, you will need to have virtual machines and resources set up to seamlessly take over your application workloads and processes. At the same time, you’ll need a comprehensive set of security policies enforced by firewall rules that address the risks unique to cloud-hosted infrastructure. As with many other steps in this checklist, you’ll want to carefully assess, plan, and test your virtual machine deployments before deploying them in a live production environment. Gather information about your source and target environment and document the workloads you wish to migrate. Set up a test environment you can use to make sure your new apps function as expected before clearing them for live production. Similarly, you may need to configure and change firewall rules frequently during the migration process. Make sure that your new deployments are secured with reliable, well-documented security policies. If you skip the documentation phase of building your firewall policy, you run the risk of introducing security vulnerabilities into the cloud environment, and it will be very difficult for you to identify and address them later on. You will also need to configure and deploy network interfaces that dictate where and when your cloud environment will interact with other networks, both inside and outside your organization. This is your chance to implement secure network segmentation that protects mission-critical assets from advanced and persistent cyberattacks. This is also the best time to implement disaster recovery mechanisms that you can rely on to provide business continuity even if mission-critical assets and apps experience unexpected downtime. Step 10: Automating Workflows Once your data and apps are fully deployed on secure cloud-hosted infrastructure, you can begin taking advantage of the suite of automation features your cloud provider offers. Depending on your choice of migration strategy, you may be able to automate repetitive tasks, streamline post-migration processes, or enhance the productivity of entire departments using sophisticated automation tools. In most cases, automating routine tasks will be your first priority. These automations are among the simplest to configure because they largely involve high-volume, low-impact tasks. Ideally, these tasks are also isolated from mission-critical decision-making processes. If you established a robust set of key performance indicators earlier on in the migration project, you can also automate post-migration processes that involve capturing and reporting these data points. Your apps will need to continue ingesting and processing data, making data validation another prime candidate for workflow automation. Cloud-native apps can ingest data from a wide range of sources, but they often need some form of validation and normalization to produce predictable results. Ongoing testing and refinement will help you make the most of your migration project moving forward. How AlgoSec Enables Secure Application Migration Visibility and Di scovery : AlgoSec provide s comprehensive visibility into your existing on-premises network environment. It automatically discovers all network devices, applications, and their dependencies. This visibility is crucial when planning a secure migration, ensuring no critical elements get overlooked in the process. Application Dependency Mapping : AlgoSec’s application dependency mapping capabilities allow you to understand how different applications and services interact within your network. This knowledge is vital during migration to avoid disrupting critical dependencies. Risk Assessment : AlgoSec assesses the security and compliance risks associated with your migration plan. It identifies potential vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and compliance violations that could impact the security of the migrated applications. Security Policy Analysis : Before migrating, AlgoSec helps you analyze your existing security policies and rules. It ensures that security policies are consistent and effective in the new cloud or data center environment. Misconfigurations and unnecessary rules can be eliminated, reducing the attack surface. Automated Rule Optimiz ation : AlgoSec automates the o ptimization of security rules. It identifies redundant rules, suggests rule consolidations, and ensures that only necessary traffic is allowed, helping you maintain a secure environment during migration. Change Management : During the migration process, changes to security policies and firewall rules are often necessary. AlgoSec facilitates change management by providing a streamlined process for requesting, reviewing, and implementing rule changes. This ensures that security remains intact throughout the migration. Compliance and Governance : AlgoSec helps maintain compliance with industry regulations and security best practices. It generates compliance reports, ensures rule consistency, and enforces security policies, even in the new cloud or data center environment. Continuous Monitoring and Auditing : Post-migration, AlgoSec continues to monitor and audit your security policies and network traffic. It alerts you to any anomalies or security breaches, ensuring the ongoing security of your migrated applications. Integration with Cloud Platforms : AlgoSec integrates seamlessly with various cloud platforms such as AWS , Microsoft Azure , and Google Cloud . This ensures that security policies are consistently applied in both on-premises and cloud environments, enabling a secure hybrid or multi-cloud setup. Operational Efficiency : AlgoSec’s automation capabilities reduce manual tasks, improving operational efficiency. This is essential during the migration process, where time is often of the essence. Real-time Visibility and Control : AlgoSec provides real-time visibility and control over your security policies, allowing you to adapt quickly to changing migration requirements and security threats. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

NAT Network Security I came across some discussions regarding Network Address Translation (NAT) and its impact on security and the... Firewall Change Management To NAT or not to NAT – It’s not really a question Prof. Avishai Wool 2 min read Prof. Avishai Wool Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 11/26/13 Published NAT Network Security I came across some discussions regarding Network Address Translation (NAT) and its impact on security and the network. Specifically the premise that “ NAT does not add any real security to a network while it breaks almost any good concepts of a structured network design ” is what I’d like to address. When it comes to security, yes, NAT is a very poor protection mechanism and can be circumvented in many ways. It causes headaches to network administrators. So now that we’ve quickly summarized all that’s bad about NAT, let’s address the realization that most organizations use NAT because they HAVE to, not because it’s so wonderful. The alternative to using NAT has a prohibitive cost and is possibly impossible. To dig into what I mean, let’s walk through the following scenario… Imagine you have N devices in your network that need an IP address (every computer, printer, tablet, smartphone, IP phone, etc. that belongs to your organization and its guests). Without NAT you would have to purchase N routable IP addresses from your ISP. The costs would skyrocket! At AlgoSec we run a 120+ employee company in numerous countries around the globe. We probably use 1000 IP addresses. We pay for maybe 3 routable IP addresses and NAT away the rest. Without NAT the operational cost of our IP infrastructure would go up by a factor of x300. NAT Security With regards to NAT’s impact on security, just because NAT is no replacement for a proper firewall doesn’t mean it’s useless. Locking your front door also provides very low-grade security – people still do it, since it’s a lot better than not locking your front door. Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Kyle Wickert explains how organizations can balance the need to modernize their networks without compromising security For businesses of... Digital Transformation Modernizing your infrastructure without neglecting security Kyle Wickert 2 min read Kyle Wickert Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 8/19/21 Published Kyle Wickert explains how organizations can balance the need to modernize their networks without compromising security For businesses of all shapes and sizes, the inherent value in moving enterprise applications into the cloud is beyond question. The ability to control computing capability at a more granular level can lead to significant cost savings, not to mention the speed at which new applications can be provisioned. Having a modern cloud-based infrastructure makes businesses more agile, allowing them to capitalize on market forces and other new opportunities much quicker than if they depended on on-premises, monolithic architecture alone. However, there is a very real risk that during the goldrush to modernized infrastructures, particularly during the pandemic when the pressure to migrate was accelerated rapidly, businesses might be overlooking the potential blind spot that threatens all businesses indiscriminately, and that is security. One of the biggest challenges for business leaders over the past decade has been managing the delicate balance between infrastructure upgrades and security. Our recent survey found that half of organizations who took part now run over 41% of workloads in the public cloud, and 11% reported a cloud security incident in the last twelve months. If businesses are to succeed and thrive in 2021 and beyond, they must learn how to walk this tightrope effectively. Let’s consider the highs and lows of modernizing legacy infrastructures, and the ways to make it a more productive experience. What are the risks in moving to the cloud? With cloud migration comes risk. Businesses that move into the cloud actually stand to lose a great deal if the process isn’t managed effectively. Moreover, they have some important decisions to make in terms of how they handle application migration. Do they simply move their applications and data into the cloud as they are as a ‘lift and shift’, or do they seek to take a more cloud-native approach and rebuild applications in the cloud to take full advantage of its myriad benefits? Once a business has started this move toward the cloud, it’s very difficult to rewind the process and unpick mistakes that may have been made, so planning really is critical. Then there’s the issue of attack surface area. Legacy on-premises applications might not be the leanest or most efficient, but they are relatively secure by default due to their limited exposure to external environments. Moving said applications onto the cloud has countless benefits to agility, efficiency, and cost, but it also increases the attack surface area for potential hackers. In other words, it gives bots and bad actors a larger target to hit. One of the many traps that businesses fall into is thinking that just because an application is in the cloud, it must be automatically secure. In fact, the reverse is true unless proper due diligence is paid to security during the migration process. The benefits of an app-centric approach One of the ways in which AlgoSec helps its customer master security in the cloud is by approaching it from an app-centric perspective. By understanding how a business uses its applications, including its connectivity paths through the cloud, data centers and SDN fabrics, we can build an application model that generates actionable insights such as the ability to create policy-based risks instead of leaning squarely on firewall controls. This is of particular importance when moving legacy applications onto the cloud. The inherent challenge here is that a business is typically taking a vulnerable application and making it even more vulnerable by moving it off-premise, relying solely on the cloud infrastructure to secure it. To address this, businesses should rank applications in order of sensitivity and vulnerability. In doing so, they may find some quick wins in terms of moving modern applications into the cloud that have less sensitive data. Once these short-term gains are dealt with, NetSecOps can focus on the legacy applications that contain more sensitive data which may require more diligence, time, and focus to move or rebuild securely. Migrating applications to the cloud is no easy feat and it can be a complex process even for the most technically minded NetSecOps. Automation takes a large proportion of the hard work away and enables teams to manage cloud environments efficiently while orchestrating changes across an array of security controls. It brings speed and accuracy to managing security changes and accelerates audit preparation for continuous compliance. Automation also helps organizations overcome skills gaps and staffing limitations. We are likely to see conflict between modernization and security for some time. On one hand, we want to remove the constraints of on-premises infrastructure as quickly as possible to leverage the endless possibilities of cloud. On the other hand, we have to safeguard against the opportunistic hackers waiting on the fray for the perfect time to strike. By following the guidelines set out in front of them, businesses can modernize without compromise. To learn more about migrating enterprise apps into the cloud without compromising on security, and how a DevSecOps approach could help your business modernize safely, watch our recent Bright TALK webinar here . Alternatively, get in touch or book a free demo . Schedule a demo Related Articles Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call